The Guoneng Jinjie CCUS project, the largest carbon dioxide capture demonstration project for thermal power plants in China, has been officially put into operation
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The images and text are reprinted from China Energy News. Here we share them for discussion —————— On the morning of June 25, 2021, the \"150,000 tons per year post-combustion CO2 capture demonstration project\" built by Guoneng Jinjie Company of the Energy Group was put into operation after successfully passing a 168-hour full-load trial run, and a CCUS technology exchange meeting was also held. Officials from Shaanxi Province and Yulin City, renowned domestic research institutions, leaders of **energy groups, and the project’s construction partners were all present to witness the official commissioning of the project. The leaders and experts who attended delivered speeches on site and offered suggestions regarding the ongoing operation of the project. The project officially commenced on November 1, 2019. After 587 days and nights of hard work, and despite various challenges such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was finally completed thanks to the joint efforts of all parties involved in the construction and the support of leaders at all levels. It represents China’s largest and most technologically advanced carbon capture demonstration plant developed through independent research and development. On June 9, 2021, the entire project was successfully launched, and on June 25 it passed a 168-hour continuous full-load trial operation without any issues. During this trial period, industrial-grade liquid CO2 meeting the required standards was produced at a temperature of around -20°C, under a pressure of 2.0 MPa, with a purity of 99.5%. Meanwhile, during the trial operation period, eight consecutive successes were achieved in one attempt each (successful power supply to the system, successful DCS restoration test, successful cold-state ventilation, successful chemical cleaning, successful hot-start, successful full-system startup, successful product liquefaction, and successful loading for shipment), presenting a gift of special significance for the centenary of the Party.
What is CCUS? Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) refers to the process of capturing and purifying carbon dioxide emitted during industrial production, and then using it in new production processes for recycling or storing it. For a long time, CCUS has been regarded as a key technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-based power generation and industrial processes. CCUS technology represents a new development trend in CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technology. Compared to CCS, it enables the utilization of carbon dioxide, generating economic benefits and offering greater practicality. It is currently the only major technology in the world capable of achieving carbon reduction from fossil fuels.
The CCUS project of Guoneng Jinjie Company is a **key research and development project, a key construction project in Shaanxi Province in 2018, and a major scientific and technological innovation project of the **Energy Group. During the trial operation period, all equipment operated smoothly, and all operational parameters and technical indicators met the design requirements. Focusing on the key challenge of reducing investment and operational costs, this project carried out technical research to develop solutions; it created absorbents based on novel composite amines, as well as core technologies for CO2 capture using chemical absorption methods that incorporate phase-change absorbents and ionic liquids. An innovative new energy-saving process combining \"inter-stage cooling + split desorption + MVR flashing\" was developed, along with low-cost, highly hydrophilic plastic packing absorbers and high-efficiency hypergravity reactors, enabling efficient CO2 capture from flue gas with low energy consumption. The liquid CO2 produced by Guoneng Jinjie Company is fully utilized in line with local conditions; it is mainly used for oil displacement in nearby oil fields, in the industrial sector for the production of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and for the manufacture of high-value chemical products such as dimethyl carbonate and propylene glycol
The figures show some of the geological utilization and sequestration projects that are currently in operation in our country. In recent years, although CCUS technology in China has developed rapidly, there is still a significant gap compared to international advanced levels. Taking into account relevant domestic and international environmental factors, we believe it is necessary to update China’s roadmap for the development of CCUS technology.
Characteristics of the distribution of large-scale CO2 emission sources: 1) Thermal power plants are sources with low concentration of emissions, with CO2 emission concentrations ranging from 8% to 15%; however, in terms of the volume of emissions, they represent the largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for 32% of the total emissions from these 8 industries. Power plants are mainly concentrated in the southeastern coastal areas of China, as well as in North and Northeast China. 2) Cement: In recent years, China’s cement industry has developed rapidly; its CO2 emissions rank second only to those from thermal power plants, accounting for approximately 22.4% of the total CO2 emissions. Cement enterprises are mainly located in the economically developed areas along China’s southeast coast and in the southwest region, with fewer found in the northwest and northeast regions. Cement is a source of low-concentration emissions, with emission concentrations ranging from about 11% to 29%. 3) Coal chemical industry: The coal chemical industry is a new type of industry. China’s abundant coal resources have contributed to the development of this industry in the country, with its annual CO2 emissions accounting for approximately 16.8% of the total emissions. The distribution of coal chemical enterprises in our country is also regional, mainly located in coal-producing provinces such as Shanxi and Shaanxi, with coal chemical bases also established in Xinjiang. Coal chemical industries are sources of high-concentration CO2 emissions; the CO2 emitted by many companies can be used for EOR (enhanced oil recovery) after simple treatment, **reducing the costs associated with its use. 4) The annual CO2 emissions from the steel industry account for approximately 21.2% of the total emissions, making it the third-largest source of CO2 emissions after thermal power plants and cement production. Since steel companies require well-developed transportation infrastructure, they are mainly located in the East and South China regions of our country, where transportation is relatively advanced. Steel enterprises are considered low-concentration emission sources. 5) Synthetic ammonia: The CO2 emitted by synthetic ammonia production enterprises accounts for approximately 2.68% of the total CO2 emissions. Although the scale is small, these sources represent high-concentration emitters; the costs associated with capturing and compressing this CO2 are low, giving them a cost advantage, which makes them suitable candidates as sources of CO2 to be utilized first. These enterprises are mainly located in East and South China, with a small number of ammonia synthesis plants also found in Xinjiang. 6) Petroleum refining refers primarily to the processing of oil. China’s petroleum refining capacity ranks among the top three in the world. The CO2 emissions generated by these refineries account for approximately 2.29% of the total emissions. Although these emissions are relatively low and represent a small proportion, some of them come from sources within the petroleum industry, where resource utilization is more efficient. 7) Compared to other industries, polyethylene companies have relatively low CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately 1.92% of the total emissions. Polyethylene constitutes medium-concentration emission sources, mainly located in North China, with a small number of such enterprises in the Northeast and Xinjiang. 8) Calcium carbide: The CO2 emissions from the calcium carbide industry account for only 0.73% of the total emissions. The emission concentrations are relatively high, mainly found in Xinjiang and the Northeast regions of China. Based on the emission characteristics and scale of these enterprises, most of them are sources with low concentrations of emissions, such as those in industries like power generation, cement production, steel manufacturing, and petrochemical processing ； There are relatively few sources of high and medium concentration emissions, such as industries like coal chemical processing, synthetic ammonia production, calcium carbide manufacturing, and polyethylene production. Overall, there are relatively abundant sources of CO2 emissions in the vicinity of China’s major oil-producing areas. In particular, around the Xinjiang Oilfield and Changqing Oilfield, there are a considerable number of coal chemical, ammonia synthesis, and calcium carbide manufacturing enterprises, all of which are sources of high-concentration CO2 emissions ； Around the Huabei Oilfield, Jidong Oilfield, and Dagang Oilfield, there are mainly medium-concentration polyethylene, low-concentration cement, as well as power generation enterprises ； Around the Daqing and Jilin oil fields in the Northeast region, there are mainly thermal power plants, refining, and steel manufacturing enterprises with low concentrations of such emissions.
This has been the news these past few days; it seems this will be the direction going forward
Shaanxi Province has developed a \"1+3+2\" low-carbon development framework for CCUS, Shaanxi Daily, Cheng Jingfeng, Yicanjia, February 11, 2018. It was recently learned from the Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission that, as one of the first provinces designated as low-carbon pilot areas, our province has actively carried out research and development as well as demonstration projects related to carbon reduction technologies, with an emphasis on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). As a result, a \"1+3+2\" development framework for CCUS has been established, which includes one provincial-level CCUS engineering research center； Demonstration projects in three technical fields: coal chemical industry, natural gas supply chain, and thermal power generation ； Two carbon dioxide sequestration pilot areas: the oil fields of CNPC Changqing Oilfield Company and the oil fields of Yanchang Petroleum Group. In 2017, the Northwest University Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage was established, becoming China’s only **-level CCUS engineering research center. In the field of coal chemical technology, Yanchang Petroleum Group has built a carbon capture facility at Yuenenghua, and established carbon dioxide sequestration test areas in 10 oil wells ； In the field of natural gas supply chain technology, CNPC Changqing Oilfield Company has launched a pilot CCUS project in the Dingbian oilfield, establishing carbon dioxide sequestration test areas in 9 oil wells ； In the field of thermal power technology, Shaanxi Guohua Jinjie Power Plant will begin construction of a CCUS demonstration project this year. By 2020, it is expected that the CCUS demonstration projects in the three technical fields of our province will capture and sequester 630,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. In June 2017, the Asian Development Bank decided to provide a grant of $5.5 million for a green fund to support the preliminary research for the Yanchang Petroleum CCUS demonstration project; this was the largest grant from the Asian Development Bank for green initiatives aimed at helping China address climate change.